David Stern must know best...Right...

[stevie_d_64]

Just a gentle reminder...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns

Stern wants NBA players to leave the guns at home

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer
October 25, 2006

NEW YORK (AP) -- David Stern understands having a gun to protect your home. He's not convinced carrying one on the streets makes you any safer.

For that reason, the NBA commissioner said Wednesday that he would prefer his players leave their firearms behind when they go out.

"It's a pretty, I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically," Stern said during his preseason conference call. "We think this is an alarming subject, that although you'll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe. And it's a real issue."

It's one that was raised recently when Indiana's Stephen Jackson shot a gun in the air at least five times outside an Indianapolis strip club on Oct. 6. He originally told police he fired in self-defense during a fight in which he was hit by a car.

The NBA's collective bargaining agreement allows players to own licensed guns, but they can't carry them on any league or team business. Asked what kind of firearm rule he would want if collective bargaining weren't involved, Stern said: "I would favor being able to have a firearm to protect your home. Period."

He added that walking the streets carrying guns was "dangerous for our players," but said there has been no further discussion with the union about strengthening the policy.

Union spokesman Dan Wasserman said it already was bolstered in last year's agreement, at the request of the league.

"In response to issues raised by the NBA during bargaining last year," he said, "a provision was added to the collective bargaining agreement that subjects the players to discipline if they bring any kind of firearm, even if it's licensed, to an NBA arena, practice facility, or even a team or league* offsite promotional appearance."

Wasserman also said that the dangers of firearms are discussed during the rookie transition program, where players are "informed of the legalities of it, what you can or can't do, and the pros of cons of having a weapon are discussed extensively."

With the start of the season less than a week away, Stern also addressed the arena situation in Sacramento. The city's residents will be asked to approve two ballot measures on Nov. 7 that would increase local sales tax as part of the Kings' quest to replace Arco Arena with a new downtown building.

The measures are considered long-shots to pass, and Stern seems to understand why after claiming that a deal between the city and the developer hasn't been finalized.

"In the absence of a deal between the city and a developer, I don't know what any fair-minded citizen of Sacramento is being asked to vote on," he said. "I would love to see them support an arena development, but I would tell them that they better make sure that the city gets with it to see whether the deal can in fact be done. Right now there is no deal anyplace."

Also, Stern said he expected to rule on Larry Brown's grievance with the Knicks sometime during the second week of the season. The Knicks refused to pay the remainder of Brown's contract after firing him one year into a five-year deal.

[The Marshal]

Remember, the NBA requires a felony as the minimum charge against you to be eligible to play!

Stern is correct here.
Its just not safe for his players to be packing when engaged in:

• *Strip club outings
  *2am Bar Closings
  *Drug deals
  *Weapons deals
  *Turf wars
  *Gang Meetings

Face it, the League must maintain their image, lest they be confused with the Cowboys, for instance.

Morons.
Wait, I meant over-paid, would be in jail for any other reason morons.

[Venus Pax]

These people have more issues than Cosmopolitan.

[Skipper5]

These people have more issues than Cosmopolitan.

+++1 Agree Venus ....u nailed it there!

[wo5m]

Stern is correct here.
Its just not safe for his players to be packing when engaged in:

• *Strip club outings
  *2am Bar Closings
  *Drug deals
  *Weapons deals
  *Turf wars
  *Gang Meetings

Face it, the League must maintain their image, lest they be confused with the Cowboys, for instance.

You forgot going though airport security. It seems like at least about once a year I hear some athlete (or other famous person) saying “I forgot I left my gun in my bag.� Maybe it’s me but after the initial report the cases seem to disappear. Somehow I don’t think that would work with any of us.

[Mithras61]

"It's a pretty, I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically," Stern said during his preseason conference call. "We think this is an alarming subject, that although you'll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe. And it's a real issue."

Hasn't this been shown to be disinformation on a number of occassions? Also, isn 't he misrepresenting the "statistic" he is citing? If I recall correctly, this "statistic" was arrived at by looking at if a household has a gun, and if the household with a gun experienced a death, and then claiming that "if you have a gun then you are 5 times more likely to have a death" as if the simple correlation between households with guns and households with deaths was causative (that is deaths were caused by the fact you had a gun) and not a correlative relationship (that is, you happened to have both a death and a gun but there is no apparent relationship between them).

[bburgi]

Not to mention the difference between LEGAL carrying versus ILLEGAL carrying. I would think someone who carries illegally would be more likely to be involved in other criminal activity which would translate into a greater probability of the person being shot themselves.

Statistics show (in Texas at least) that legally carrying a weapon means you are LESS likely to be involved in criminal activity. Less criminal activity = less chance of being shot.

[KinnyLee]

I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically," Stern said during his preseason conference call.

I like to know where he got these "accepted satistics"

[stevie_d_64]

I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically," Stern said during his preseason conference call.

I like to know where he got these "accepted satistics"

VPC, Brady Bunch, IANSA...

[TxFire]

I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically," Stern said during his preseason conference call.

I like to know where he got these "accepted satistics"

"Accepted statistics"- phrase used to describe numbers and circumstance that exist in the head's of anti-gunner's only that have no basis in truth or fact but exist simply to further the cause of the anti-gun agenda where ever it may exist. See also "Lies about guns"